Coin-controlled apparatus



Aug. 1s, 1925.-, v l F. WAGNER ET AL COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Shed 1 Filed Oct. l1. 1920 Aug. 18, 1925. 1,549,936

Y F. WAGNER ET AL com coNTRoLLED APPARATUS l ijil'ed'oct. 11. 1920 "T2 Shoots-Sheet 2 Y Patented Aug. 18, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEicE.

FRANK '\VAGNER, 0F LAUREL HILL, NEW YORK, .AND ALFRED ANDERSON, OF SOUTH NORWALK, CONNECTICUT.

COIN-CONTROLLED APPARATUS.`

Application filed October 11, 1920. Serial No. 416,159.

To all whom t may concer/n Be it known that we, FRANK TAGE En and ALrnEo riNnEnsoN, citizens ot the United ltates, residing at Laurel Hill, Queens County, State ot New York, and South Norwalk, in the county or' Fairlield and State oi' Connecticut, respectively, have invented certain new and usetul lmprovements in (loiirControlled Apparatus, ot which the following is a specification.

rThis invention relates to coin-controlled apparatus, intended for use with vending machines or the like, and more especially to that type ot apparatus wherein the coin, when in place, is utilized as a necessary part oit' the mechanism whereby the desired actuation ont parts is effected.

One of the objects of the invention is to simplify the construction of this type ot device, while providing a ilexibility of adjustment which makes its operation controllable by the insertion of one or of any desired plurality of coins, as may be deY sired.

Another object is to provide, in a very simple way, for the rejection and return of coins of size smaller than those for which the machine is adapted.

vStill another object is to provide a coin slide in two parts, one stationary and the other movable into and out et alignment with the end of the stationary slide part, and to provide a coin-opening in the bottom and near the inner end of the stationary slide part, which opening is closed when the slide parts are in continuation-alignment, and open when the slide parts are not in suoli alignment; so that by having the movable slide part biased to aligned position so long, for instance, as the supply of articles to be vended is not exhausted, and brought to non-aligned position when the supply is gone, coins put into the machine in this condition ot affairs will not pass to the movable and actively operative slide part, and will be returned to the outside of the apparatus.

Other objects and aims ot the invention, more or less broad than those stated above, together 'with the advantages inherent, will he in part obvious and in part. specifically referred to in the course oil the following` description'ot the elements, combinations arrangements ot parts, and applications otA principles constituting the 11'ivent1on;'a1ul y .the scopeV of protection contemplated will appear from the claims.

ln'the accompanying drawings, which are to he taken as part oi' this speciiication, and in which we have shown merely a preferred form ot embodiment of the invention, we have illustrated in Figure l, in perspective, an assembly of parts embodying a form ot the invention;

Figure 2`is a section, with parts in elevation, as taken on the line 2&2 of Figure 3;

vFigure 3 is a top plan view;

Figure l is a section taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a detail section, with parts broken away, showing the closer for the bottom coin-opening of the stationary slide part, the track underlying the movable slide, and associated parts;

Figure 6 is a detail of the movable slide construction Figure 7 is a detail of the stationary slide, partly in section and partly in elevation, and showing how a coin is rejected if it be too small; and

Figure 8 is an elevation of the apertured side-wall of the stationary slide.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, there is shown at 9 the front plate of machine in which my device may be included and to the back of which the vari* ous parts hereinafter described are secured. l0 indicates a stationary coin slide, through which a coin moves on edge, the slide having a slight inclination away from the vertical, as indicated in Figure 7. One side wall of the stationary slide 10, indicated by the reference character 1l and shown in detail iu Figure 8, is provided with a longitudinally extending aperture l2. This aperture will be not so wide as the diameter of the coin -lor which the machine is adapted, so that the proper coin will slide past the aperture, while a` coin that is too small will he tl'irown ont of the aperture by reason of the inclination, as clearly appears from Figure 7, in which the coin is indicated in dotted linear This stationary coin slide will ot course be open at both ends, the outer end into which the coin is inserted being identified by a plate V14.

This stationary coin slide l() has a bottom wall 'which is cut out adjacent its inner end, thatis `the end remoi'fed from the inlet; and

this opening is larger than the coin which is to be used with the machine so that under certain conditions a coin will be discharged from the stationary slide and be returned to the front of the machine by way of a return chute 15 therebeneath. The coin-discharge opening however is intended to be closed at certain times, to constitute the stationary slide a complete passage to the movable coin slide indicated in a general way by the numeral 16, this coin slide being shown as pivoted at 17, and having arm 17 by which it may be moved from one pivotal position to another. The movable coin slide has no bottom, but in one of its positions, for instance the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, it overlies a track 18, and the distal end of the movable slide is closed by an end wall 19. Carried by the pivoted coin slide is a plate 20, which, when the pivoted slide is in the Figure 1 position, closes the coindischarge opening of the stationary slide, so that when a coin is introduced into the end Y 14 of the stationary slide it can travel down into the pivoted slide, the latter having a flaring inlet as indicated at 21. One of the side walls ol the pivoted coin slide is provided with a series of openings 22, 23, 211, 25 and 26. Through the opening 22 is mov able a pusher rod 27 normally spring-retracted away from the movable slide, as indicated in full lines in Figure a, and adapted to be moved into the dotted line position of Figure l as by means of a tappet 28, carried by a rock shaft 29 actuated from the liront of the machine by means of a knob 30. It there is a coin within the movable slide, such a coin being indicated at 31 in Figure 4r, the projection of the pusher rod 27 to the dotted line position of Figure el will result in moving the movable slide on its pivot to the dotted line position thereof indicated in Figure Il. This movement will carry the pivoted slide away from its position above track 18 and the coin 31 will :tall out of the slide and down into the coin chute 32 interiorly of the apparatus. Selectively eX- tensible into the pivoted slide is a series of barrier rods 34, each of which is urged by means of a retractile spring 35 to movement in a direction towards the interior of the slide, and each rod may be held out of its obstructing position by means of a pin 35 carried by a knob 37, this pin 3G entering a corresponding opening in the bearing 38 which carries the rod, when the rods are in a barrier position, and the pin resting against the outer face of the bearing 38 when the knob 35 has been retracted and given enough olE a turn to bring the pin 36 out of registry with its corresponding opening, whereby the knob is held spaced away from the bearing and consequently the rod 84 is held out of barrier position. 'ln Figure 4, the left-hand one of the rods is removed trom barrier position and the remaining three are in barrier position. The ellect ol: this construction will be obvious. Referring to Figure 4i, two coins 31 are shown within the movable slide. The righthand coin 81 in this figure rests against the end ot the barrier rod which is indicated for convenience by the reference character 34', and the left-hand coin 31 is in edge contact with the right-hand coin and the left-hand coin receives the thrust ot the pusher rod 27 to move the pivoted slide to the dotted line position of Figure 1, whereby through connections not shown, actuation of the vending machine proper, to discharge an article for sale, is accomplished while the two coins are at the same time discharged into the chute 32. Assuming that the machine is to be used with nickels, and that the barriers are set as in Figure il, the machine will be operative only upon the deposit of two nickels; but its operation may be made to depend upon the insertion of one, two, three, Jfour or live coins, accordingly as the barriers are .I djusted.

,ln connecting my apparatus with a vending machine l ot course contemplate some arrangement whereby the movable coin slide will be biased in the Figure 1 position, that is, with its inlet end in registry with the adjacent end of the stationary slide, and in alignment with and superposed above the track 18 so long as there remains a supply of articles in the vending machine proper; and provision will be made so that when the vending machine proper is empty, the movable slide will be automatically brought to the dotted line position otl Fig. 4l, so that upon the insertion oi a coin the coin will drop through the coin-opening 39 ot the stationary slide and be returned to the front of the machine through the return chute 15. lf the attempt be made to use a washer to operate the machine, the end of the pusher rod 27 will pass through the washer and there will be no actuation of the pivoted slide. And in case a pasteboard disk be used, the end or' the pusher rod 27 may be pointed, so that it will penetrate the paper and distort the same without causing movement ot' the pivoted slide.

With a machine thus constructed and related to the vending apparatus proper, it is evident that there will be provided a structure which will receive one or more coins so long as the vending machine rontains an article or articles to be vended, and will net receive coins when there is no supply ol articles to be vended. The coin-controlled apparatus is very simple in its coustruetion, with few parts and not likely to get out et order.

lnasmuch as many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments ot' lui) my invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all the generic and specific features ol' the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

1. A device of the kind described, comprising a relatively stationary .coin slide open at its ends and having a bottom coin opening adjacent its inner end, a relatively movable coin slide aligning with the stationary coin slide in one position and so constituting a continuation of the stationary slide, the movable slide being bottomless, but closed at the end removed from the end of the stationary slide, and having a series of openings in one side wall, a track aligned with and underlying the open bottom of, the movable slide when the latter is aligned with the stationary slide, means for engaging a coin in the movable coin slide exposed through one of the side-wall openings, to move the movable slide away from its position of alignment with the stationary slide and with the track, and means for closing the bottom coin opening of the stationary slide when the slides are in aligned relation.

2. A device as set forth in claim l, with coin barriers selectively extensible into the movable coin slide through certain of the side-wall openings.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1, in which the means for* closing the bottom coin opening of the stationary slide is carried by the movable slide.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1, in which the stationary slide is inclined rom the vertical through a part of its length, and has one side-wall partly cut away.

5. A device of the kind described, comprising a relatively stationary coin slide open at its ends and having a bottom coin opening adjacent its inner end, a relatively movable coin slide aligning with the stationary coin slide in one position and provided with means for closing said bottom coin opening when in aligning postion and so constituting a continuation of the stationary slide, the movable slide being bottomless when in non-aligning position but closed at the end removed from the end of the stationary slide, means for arresting movement of a coin in the movable slide when in aligning position and means for engaging said coin t0 move the movable slide out of aligning position to release the coin from the movable slide.

6. A device of the kind described, comprising a relatively stationary coin slide open at its ends and having a bottom coin opening adjacent its inner end, a pivoted coin slide aligning with the stationary coin slide in one position yand provided with means for closing said bottom coin opening when in aligning position and so constituting a continuation oi the stationary slide, means for arresting movement of a coin in the movable slide and means for engaging said coin to move the movable slide out oi' aligning position to release the coin.

7. A device of the kind described, comprising a relatively stationary coin slide open at its ends and having a bottom coin opening adjacent its inner end, a pivoted coin slide aligning with the stationary coin slide in one position, said pivoted slide having an eXtenson on one side thereof for' closing the bottom opening in the stationary slide when in aligning position, the pivoted slide when in aligning position constituting a continuation of the stationary slide, means in the movableslide for supporting a coin and means for engaging a coin in the movable slide to move the movable slide out of alignment to release the coin.

8. A device of the character described including a coin chute and a coin return chute for a vending machine, coin slides adapted to have aligning relation with respect to each other, one of said slides having stationary relation with respect to said chutes and the other of said slides being pivotally supported adjacent the stationary slide, the stationary slide being open at its ends and having a bottom coin opening adjacent its inner end communicating with theJ return chute, the pivotally supported slidel having an extension to close the bottom opening in the stationary slide when in aligning position and also having a closed end wall and side walls in the top of the coin chute and being provided with means to arrest movement of a coin placed inv said slides and means for engaging said coin to move the movable slide out of aligning position to release the coin from the movable slide and permit it to fall into the coin chute.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

FRANK WAGNER. ALFRED ANDERSON. 

